When I was growing up, several of my friends always considered me lucky. I don’t exactly know what they were looking at but it felt kind of good to be considered lucky, like there was some guardian angel looking over me. Well it didn’t take long in the real world to find out that relying on luck alone was not only foolish, but it was not going to get you in the end zone. It can be a great morale booster when it happens, but you can never count on it – NEVER!

Looking for a further insight into the question “how much does luck play in one’s life?” I once asked a preacher what is the biggest problem he has with his congregation. I expected to hear something profound but instead heard something very simple, but true. He thought for a minute and said, “I can say it in one word. The most powerful little word you ever heard” – my interest was piqued, “It’s not luck, it’s not fate, it’s USE! “Use?”, I said in a somewhat disappointed tone of voice. “Yes, USE”, he said. “You see people know what they should do but they very often don’t do it. Do you see that little old lady in the second pew”, he asked? “Yes”, I said. “She always sits in the same place and fights with anyone who dares sit in “her” seat. The problem is she has been coming to this church for the past 10 years and her behavior has never changed. Why? Because she has never bothered to use the wisdom I’ve been preaching. Now do you see why I say USE is the most powerful word in the English language? You see knowledge is only valuable if it is USED. Only then will it come alive in your own life”.

I walked away feeling that I’ve just met a very wise man.

Well, if you can’t rely on luck then it makes sense that you USE what you KNOW to succeed in life. Here’s something to KNOW:

250 million people use the web every day.

83 million of those use the web to start the shopping process.

In 2008 consumers purchased $204 billion dollars worth of goods on the internet, just in the US.

And 73% of all adults now use the internet – 1.7 billion Worldwide. Now that you KNOW, you need to USE this data and act on it.

A sound and effective marketing plan can be brought into fruition if you act. You know your job, we know ours – effective internet marketing that gets results. If you USE what you KNOW and ACT on it, this may very well be your lucky day and your lucky week and your lucky month and your lucky year and your lucky….. You get the idea. Good luck!

Robert Cook